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3 injured in Salinas shooting

Authorities said three people were shot Monday evening after a man drove into a north Salinas neighborhood and opened fire.

Two teen boys, ages 16 and 17, were hit in the shooting. A bullet also grazed a 20-year-old man. All the victims are expected to survive.

Lety Villapudua was picking up her grandchildren from a babysitter’s house when the shooting occurred.

“I’m surprised, especially because my three grandkids is right here, you know? It’s supposed to only east side, that’s bad area. Now north side, that’s bad,” she said.

Investigators said the victims were working on a car around 4:15 p.m. when the gunman drove up and fired a semi-automatic pistol.

“It’s the middle of the afternoon,” said Salinas Police Commander Sheldon Bryan. “People are out and about, and the people that did this have absolutely no consciousness for anybody’s safety, and it’s pretty disturbing if you really think about it.”

The violence continued into the night when two people were arrested in an unrelated incident after firing rounds into a home on Salinas’ east side. With school out and summer in full swing, police expect an increase in unlawful activity.

“It’s summertime now,” Bryan said. “School is out. We are concerned. Historically, here in Salinas, we’ve seen an uptick in violence when summer comes around. The long warm summer nights tend to draw people out more.”

That threat is causing Villapudua to second guess the safety of her and her family.

“You imagine something like that happen when she’s walking to the park. One of my grandkids, hell no, this is bad,” she said.

Police do not have any information on the gunman, but the case is being investigated as gang related.

Officers are looking for a brown Honda Accord in connection with the shooting.

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